Archive for Science Fair Projects

How to win that Science Fair Award

A Science Fair is a great place to show your talent and be rewarded for it. All you need to do is know what you are doing. If you need any clue about how to pick the right topic for your science project or how to get it made, you came to the right place. This is where you can find some of those extra tips and tricks that can make the difference between winning an award or not.

You already know what the basics are : pick a good topic, make a project, write the report, rig up the display, and present the science fair project to the judges. Everyone who takes part in the science fair does that. What you need to know to win that award is how those teachers judge the projects.

That’s where the difference between making a project and making an award-winning project lies.  Once you know what is expected it becomes easier to please the judges. So who better to tell you what your teachers want you to do than another teacher. Here’s a peek into what teachers really want to see in your science project.

Essentially your science fair project must be interesting and fun. It should show that you put some scientific principle to unique use with the project. Of course you will need to get to work on these expectations long before its time to show off your project to the judges.  So get your thinking caps out and get to work.

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Your Science Fair Report

There is more to a science fair project than the project itself. While the topic you choose is important. Plus the model you make must work. There is also the physical presentation of the project to the judges which is important. Part of the deal includes the science fair report.

Writing the science fair report can be a daunting task. Specially if this is the first time you are writing one. However you don’t need to get the jitters to write it. You just need to get your ideas sorted out and you will be fine. Decide on what you wish to say in the report. If you have a clear idea about the tone and style of the report it will go much faster than trying to write it one page at a time.

Spend some time thinking about what needs to be written in the report and what can be said out aloud at the presentation of the project at the fair. Don’t repeat all the information in the report on the display board either. The display board only gives the highlights. The rest of the details go into the written report.

You need to sort out what goes where then get to work. Here’s a quick guide to getting the science fair report right. There are a whole lot of tips that you can use here. Hope you find it useful. All the best for writing the perfect science fair report.

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How to get your science project right

What do you think will make a great science fair project? Does it have to be big to impress everyone around you? Does it have to be shiny and flashy so that it catches the eye? Does it have to make a loud sound to make heads turn in its direction? While all this sounds good, it will not guarantee that the science project is a good one.

While the display of a science fair project is very important, it is the actual project which needs to have substance. If you have an original idea it is far better than a thousand clones which are just variations of the same idea. You need to think out of the box to get that ideal science project going.

Think about the actual purpose of the project. Is it to win an award or is it to teach you something new? You may say both. However the judges who see the different projects also check if the student has had to learn something extra in order to get it to work. That enhances the value of the project right away.

Here’s an article that will give you a good idea about what teachers really want when they come to see your science fair project.  You may find some useful stuff here. Essentially you must remember that the teacher wants you to learn something new from your participation in the science fair. If your project reflects that, it is the right one to do.

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Get a good grade on your science fair project

The grade that you score on your science fair project is usually dependent on just how much effort you have put into the project. The more you work at it, the better the science project will be and the higher is your likely grade. There is no short cut to a great grade. You will need to work on the project.

That said, it does not mean that working hard has to be drudgery. If you pick your topic with care you will end up learning all about something that really interests you. And time always flies when you are having fun. So think about what seems like a more fun topic before you start working on the science project.

Naturally it will have to be be an experiment that is possible at your level. Don’t pick something that needs a rocket scientist to accomplish. At the same time remember to make the project challenging enough to keep your interest alive. Check with your teacher for some possible suggestions based on your interests.

Pick something that you can collect fact about easily. Plus something that lends itself to easy testing and maybe even a working model. Remember in the end its about impressing the judges and getting a good grade. So it has to have enough presence on its own. You can help by being well prepared when you present it to the judges. Here’s more help on finding the right project for yourself. If you make a good beginning you are half way to a good grade.

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Liquids and Science Fair Projects

No matter what field of science  you want to do your science fair project in, you can use liquids. If you want to do your project in Physics you can use the density of the different fluids around to make a good comparative study. You can use different materials to test the density of the fluids. Anything from a pencil to a balloon can be used to check buoyancy of the liquid as well.

If you wish to use chemistry as your subject of choice, you may use something more exciting like acids. However as these can be potentially dangerous these experiments are best done under adult supervision. That does not mean that all chemistry science projects involving fluids have to use acids. You could even do solvent tests. How much is each liquid on your list able to dissolve?

Did you know that water is known as the “Universal Solvent”? That is because it is able to dissolve more salts or chemical compounds than most others. So how about doing a science project to see if that is really true? Pick some other liquids and get yourself a few common salts. Make sure none are going to react. Check with your teacher before you begin the actual experiment.

If that seems a bit too much work check out this experiment.  Will the bowling ball sink or float? There truly is a whole world of experiments and science projects out there. All you need to do is pick one which matches your level of experience, your interest and your budget. All the best.

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Liquid Layers and Science Projects

Liquids interact with each other in many ways. If you were to do a science project about different types of liquids, it would make an interesting experiment. Think of vinegar and oil. If you pour them into the same glass what will happen? How about whiskey and water. If you pour them in a glass together what will happen?

You can test the density of liquids. Which is easy to do with simple buoyancy tests. Take a set of three or five liquids. Get them poured into similar containers and in equal measures. Now collect a few light and heavy things that you can check buoyancy with. If you record your observations in a systematic manner, your science fair project is done.

All you need to do is get a basic principle and test it. That’s an instant science project for you. Take Surface Tension for example. Is it the same for all fluids? No it isn’t. How do you prove it? That can become a good science fair project if you delve into it.

It is not possible to talk about fluids and not mention bubbles. You know its great fun blowing bubbles with soapy water. But do you know the kind of soap you mix in the water affects the kind of bubbles you will be able to blow. Check it out some time. Here’s one simple experiment of interacting liquids that you might enjoy.

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Science Fair Projects for Elementary School

The key to winning a science fair project is innovation. Get creative with your science project. Don’t get stuck in a rut and above all don’t copy any one else. Think of a science project for elementary school and the most common one that comes to mind is the baking soda volcano. While I have nothing against this science project, I must say that it has been done so many times over that as a judge it is very boring to see an entry like that.

So think of different concepts that you would like to explore. Remember there is a potential science project in just about everything around you. If you like plants and flowers you can make a project out of them. Collecting dried leaves of various types and pasting them in a copy would give you a herbarium.  Or if you prefer a more interactive project why not experiment on two plants of the same sort?

Take the seeds of one particular type of flower or vegetable. Then split them up into half. Use the first set in a regular pot with no special additives. This will become your control group. Then use the second set of seeds with a healthy mix of fertilizers. Now record all the details of growth of the seedlings in both pots. Quite likely the data that you collect will work itself into an impressive science project.

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The BTC – An interesting science project

Oil is essential to our way of life. It is also a highly limited resource. This is why it is so much sought after. That is also why you have the BTC pipeline. BTC is an acronym for Baku, Tbilisi and Ceyhan. The pipeline starts at the Caspian sea near Baku which is the capital of Azerbaijan. Then it passes through Georgia, the capital of which is Tbilisi and ends up on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey at the city of Ceyhan.

The BTC travels through three countries and joins two seas. It is said to be 1,768 km long, which makes it the second largest oil pipeline in the world. Which is the largest? The Russian one Druzbha is the largest one in the world. Yet given that the BTC consists of over 150,000 segments of steel of about 12 m length each, it is a phenomenal thing.

Naturally the pipeline would be too vulnerable if it ran all the way through three countries on the surface, so large portions of the BTC are underground. Usually it is situated at a depth of ten meters from the surface. Oil flows through the pipe continuously so keeping it in good working order is a huge task.

This can also make an interesting idea for a science project. Why not construct a model replica of an oil pipe placed over the map to denote the BTC? You can scale it down to a size that you can manage. The display board could give all the statistics of the BTC. It would make a spectacular science fair project. Why not give it a shot?

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The Air We Breathe: A Science Project

The composition of the air we breathe is no longer the same as it was at the turn of the last century. That’s to the advance of technology and science we have at our disposal a number of gadgets that constantly change the composition of the air that we breathe. Be it the pollution from vehicles of the CFCs from aerosol sprays, we add pollution to the air each day.

Air is essential for us to live, and still we have no qualms about making it unfit to breathe by continuing our mindless polluting activities on a daily basis. The University of Maryland recently conducted some research on the sky worldwide. The scientists concluded that the sky has darkened over the world thanks to the soot particles and aerosols present in the air.

The one exception was the sky over Europe. The visibility in Europe is said to have increased since the 1980s and the sky is actually lighter here than over the rest of the world. This is attributed to the strict anti-pollution laws that Europe adheres to. The emissions tested here were found to have far less pollutants than those over the sky of the USA.

The air we breathe is precious. It is also a limited resource. Maybe its time that we got a bit more serious about saving the environment for future generations. That  is also a great idea for a science fair project. The green message is a compelling one and highly relevant to the world today. Think of how you can make it an interesting science project.

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Picking the right ideas for a science fair project

An idea can make or break your science fair project. So put in some effort when you choose the idea to make a project. What ideas work best? The ones that are the simplest to apply. Its easy to do a science fair project on something that is familiar. Don’t take too many variables into the project. Keep a simple step wise procedure as your plan.

Once you work out what the plan is, try not to make too many changes to it. Some changes will come in, so be flexible enough to accept them. Don’t get stressed out unnecessarily. Like if you are looking forward to painting your model red and can only find white paint. Relax.

It is not that big a deal. The important thing is that it works. The color is not that important. Sure its not what you wanted but its okay. So while you get a great idea to work, stay practical and don’t become too much of a perfectionist. Most of all don’t forget to have some fun. Here’s a set of guidelines that will help.

Make sure you put your idea through all the parameters that you can think of before beginning to transform it into your science fair project. Remember the more you plan ahead, the easier you will find it to work on the project. So put in a bit more effort when you formulate the plan and it will all be easy sailing.

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